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STURRIDGE Liverpool gift

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  When Gini Wijnaldum switched a fine lofted ball to Nathaniel Clyne out on the right for the defender to then roll to Daniel Sturridge, the striker was not thinking "one more pass". Instead, he cut onto his left foot, dragging an exhausted Leighton Baines across the area, before creating space for a 20-yard shot that evaded four Everton defenders as well as a diving Joel Robles, en route to striking the post. The effort was scuffed, but with just four minutes remaining in the Merseyside derby and the scores goalless, it was exactly what Liverpool needed as Sadio Mane reacted sharpest to convert the rebound. Sturridge forced the space, forced the goal, and forced the delirium among the away end at Goodison Park, which will long live in the fixture’s storied history. He wasn't happy to wait for the moment, he was determined to make it. And as second-placed Liverpool look upwards, planning to punch through...

Oscar to leave Chelsea for Shanghai SIPG in £60m deal

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Chelsea have agreed to sell Oscar to Chinese club Shanghai SIPG for a fee of around £60m. The Brazil midfielder will leave Stamford Bridge when the transfer window opens at the start of January, 12 months after compatriot and former Blues team-mate Ramires joined Jiangsu Suning. A Chelsea statement made no mention of the fee, but Sky sources say it is in the region of £60m - £10m more than Paris Saint-Germain paid the club for David Luiz in 2014. Oscar arrived in London in 2012 and went on to win the Premier League, Europa League and League Cup during his four-and-a-half-year stay. The 25-year-old has featured just 11 times since Antonio Conte was appointed, but the Blues manager said this month he was sad to be losing a player who scored 38 goals in 203 appearances. Oscar arrived in London in 2012 and went on to win the Premier League, Europa League and League Cup during his four-and-a-half-year stay. The 25-year-old has featured just 11 times since Antonio Conte w...

Oscar agrees China move

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  Chelsea have announced that midfielder, Oscar has agreed to join Chinese Super League side, Shangai SIPG. The contract is said to be worth £60 million with the player set to be paid £400,000-a-week after tax. Oscar joined Chelsea from Brazilian club Internacional for £25m in 2012 and 131 league appearances for the Blues over a four year period but he increasingly found it hard to break into the Chelsea this this season under Antonio Conte. The Brazilian showed a lot of promise at the beginning of his Chelsea career after joining straight after the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He was the star of that Brazilian team that was beaten in the final by Mexico. He was also said to be the main reason why former Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho sold Juan Mata and Kevin de Bruyne. He now joins former Chelsea midfielder, Ramires, who was sold in January.

Liverpool's Matip will be shielded from sanctions if Cameroon were informed of his position

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  Fecafoot "reserves the right to take action" against players shunning AFCON, but the centre-back will be shielded if he offered a timely written withdrawal Cameroon would not have legal grounds to request a club sanction against Liverpool’s Joel Matip if the defender formally advised them of his decision to sit out the Africa Cup of Nations in advance. Premier League Team of the Season The 25-year-old is one of seven players named in the preliminary 35-man squad to opt out of representing Hugo Broos’ side at the continental showpiece. And the coach has threatened to take disciplinary measures: "These players have put personal interest above those of the national team and the federation reserves the right to take action against the players in accordance with FIFA regulations." Fecafoot could seek a ban from club games for the duration of the tournament as those called up are “obliged to respond affirmatively.” However, Matip’s self...

Man City open talks over £50 million Van Dijk deal

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Manchester City hope to continue their massive spending drive under Pep Guardiola with a £50 million move for Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk in the January transfer window, according to the Daily Mail . Since his summer arrival, Guardiola has spent around £100 million bringing in John Stones, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Nolito and Claudio Bravo, while £27 million signing Gabriel Jesus will bolster City's attacking options next month. The English outlet reckons Van Dijk would find the chance to play Champions League football too good to resist, and talks about a move are said to have already taken place. The Dutch international, who joined Southampton from Celtic in 2014 for £13 million, signed a six-year contract with the Saints in May, but his form has seen him linked to Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, among others.

De Bruyne at Manchester City for the long-term

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After spells at Genk, Chelsea, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg, the Belgium international is ready to settle down at the Etihad Stadium Kevin De Bruyne has made it clear he has no intention of leaving Manchester City any time soon as he is loving life at the Etihad Stadium. The Belgium international joined City from Wolfsburg ahead of the 2015-16 campaign and has since developed into a key figure at the Premier League side. De Bruyne had spells at Genk, Chelsea and Werder Bremen prior to his arrival in Manchester and is now ready to settle down. "I am feeling very well at Manchester City. We [De Bruyne and partner Michele] really like our life and have settled here," De Bruyne told Sport/Voetbalmagazine . "The past few years have been hectic and we want to embark on a long-term project now. We no longer want to move all the time. Not so much because I am 25 now, but mainly because everything is going very well here. "Everything th...

CONTE MONITORING AKE

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  The Chelsea boss admits that he has noticed how well the defender is playing on the south coast, as he prepares to face the Cherries at Stamford Bridge on Monday Antonio Conte has been closely monitoring the progress of Chelsea loanee Nathan Ake at Bournemouth, with the defender - who has netted three times in 10 appearances - due to visit Stamford Bridge with the Cherries on Monday. Eddie Howe won't be able to select the 21-year-old, who has impressed since breaking into the side at left-back, on Boxing Day due to Premier League rules not allowing players on temporary loans to face their parent club. Chelsea have yet to decide on whether they will bring Ake back into their first team squad but Conte has admitted that he and his coaching staff at Chelsea have been impressed with the Netherlands U21 international's impact at the Vitality Stadium. “Now, the most important thing is that Ake is playing very well and doing a g...